Help Us Improve: Your Role in This Class

In this class, we believe in strong feedback! We need your comments. In each module, you'll see a place to submit your feedback and comments. If you spot any mistakes or potential fixes, or have ideas or suggestions, please let us know!

Please be as specific as possible in your comments and feedback. If you just say "I disagreed with the way you portrayed _____", then it is not always easy to understand the problem. It is extremely helpful if you say "In video 1.1 at 0:45 you mention that _____, but it would be more accurate to say ____ ".

Watching Videos

When you watch the videos, you have the option to adjust the playback speed. Previous participants suggested pointing this out for those who prefer a faster or slower pace.

Expectations

This video-based course provides a foundational introduction to STPA and serves as a prerequisite for more advanced courses that incorporate hands-on exercises, real projects, and individual facilitator reviews. The course includes approximately 15 hours of core instruction, along with about 20 hours of optional offline exercises, templates, and reading. Completing the optional material is recommended to gain the most value from the class.

Those seeking STPA certification may enroll in a follow-on certification project, which includes additional activities and individualized feedback.

Course Material Restrictions

The slides and other course material are for your own personal use and may not be distributed outside of the class without permission. You may not share the slides with generative artificial intelligence (AI) or large language models (LLMs).

If you plan to give a future presentation about STPA and would like to use a few slides from the class, please request approval. Such requests are rarely an issue to approve.

Pace of the course

The course is self-paced, but you must make a time commitment. Past participants say the lessons 'click' and solidify best if you finish the course quickly and start applying your new skills right away. Participants who spread the lessons over many weeks reported having more trouble and feeling lost, having to review material previously covered.

How long will it take?

To get the most benefit from this course, plan to spend about 40 hours to complete it.

If you're in a rush and very determined, you could get through the most important parts in 2 days / 16 hours.

Example accelerated 2-day schedule:

Day 1: (8.5 hours minimum)

• Complete Module 1: Modern System Safety Fundamentals
• Complete Module 2: Human Interaction Fundamentals
• Complete Module 3: Systems Theory and STAMP
• Begin half of Module 4: STPA Introduction

Day 2: (8.5 hours minimum)

• Finish Module 4: STPA Introduction
• Complete Module 5: STPA Example
• Complete Module 6: STPA Exercise
• Complete Module 7: Lessons Learned in Practice (skip "Facilitating STPA")

These time estimates do not include offline assignments and activities, such as the reading.